1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of simulating color images which is to be executed on a screen of a display device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) to obtain a desirably colored image when printing the image by means of a hard copy unit.
2. Description of the Related Arts
Recent hard copy units such as a printer, a copying machine or the like are equipped with a variety of color conversion functions. In some of the hard copy units provided with the color conversion functions, the degree of a color conversion processing is adjusted through the provision of color conversion parameters. FIG. 4 illustrates a construction of a color printer in which the degree of the color conversion processing is adjustable by virtue of the color conversion parameters and which is typically disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2-270575.
The color printer shown in this drawing comprises a console panel 2, a color control section 3, a print control section 6 and output section 7. The color control section 3 acts to determine a coloration at the time of printing based on color conversion parameters which are down loaded from a host computer 1 as well as color conversion parameters which are manually input through a switch 2A constituting the console panel 2. The print control section 6 controls the output section 7 so that an image can be printed in compliance with the determined coloration. The output section 7 prints under the control of the print control section 6 the image represented by image data to be supplied from a circuit not shown.
The color control section 3 includes a data analyzing section 4 and a data editing section 5. Through the action of the data analyzing section 4 and the data editing section 5, different coloration can be selected in response to the state of the switch 2A.
Firstly, in case the color conversion parameters which have been down loaded from the host computer 1 are coincident with the color conversion parameters which have been manually input through the switch 2A, the data analyzing section 4 determines the coloration depending on the color conversion parameters down loaded from the host computer 1. In other words, the color conversion parameters down loaded from the host computer 1 are supplied into the print control section 6.
Secondly, also in the case where no color conversion parameters are manually input by way of the switch 2A, the data analyzing section 4 determines a coloration on the basis of the color conversion parameters down loaded from the host computer 1.
Moreover, providing that the color conversion parameters down loaded from the host computer 1 are not coincident with the color conversion parameters manually input through the switch 2A, the data analyzing section 4 transfers both the color conversion parameters into the data editing section 5.
The data editing section 5 determines the coloration with a priority conferred upon the color conversion parameters manually input by means of the switch 2A, and supplies the color conversion parameters associated with the obtained coloration into the print control section 6.
In this manner, the user of the conventional apparatus can attain a record image of a necessary color. In other words, the color conversion functions are capable of being adjusted by down loading the color conversion parameter into the color control section 3 from the host computer 1 or by operating the console panel 2.
However, it is unclear what color of printed or hard copied image can be obtained until the image is printed on trial. It is commonly difficult to obtain a desirably colored record image through only one printing, and it is necessary to repeatedly output the print images or to carry out a cut and try. This is a waste of ink and recording paper.
Alternatively, it is also conceivable to perform a recording after the confirmation of the image color by way of the display device such as the CRT. Unfortunately, the image color appearing on the display device such as the CRT is different from the image color obtained by the hard copy unit such as the printer, since the former is represented in additive primaries consisting of R (red), G (green), and B (blue), whereas the latter is represented in subtractive primaries consisting of Y (yellow), M (magenta), and C (cyan). Namely, the display device differs from the hard copy unit in the manner of representing colors and hence in the range of the color representation. As a result, there still remains a necessity for the cut and try irrespective of the confirmation by means of the display device such as the CRT.